Lina Bengtsdotter’s third novel in the Charlie Lager series, For the Lost, celebrates five consecutive weeks on Der Spiegel’s bestseller list in Germany, this week at No. 20.
The paperback edition of Fredrik Backman’s instant No. 1 New York Times Best Seller Anxious People was published in the US last week, and it went straight to No. 6 on the New York Times Best Seller list for paperbacks.
Last week, the opera entitled Innocence, composed by Kaija Saariaho and with libretto written by Sofi Oksanen, had its world premiere during the 2021 Festival d’Aix-en-Provence. Both the opera in its entirety and the libretto itself, have been praised by critics and audiences worldwide.
Already prior to the premiere, The New York Times newspaper called Innocence “the most anticipated new opera of the year,” and it has since been declared as “the landmark opera of our time” by Helsingin Sanomat, the largest daily newspaper in the Nordics. “In operas, the composer is often mentioned, the librettist less often. But Kaija Saariaho’s and Sofi Oksanen’s Innocence is the work of two equal masters,” the review continues.
“From the libretto to the staging, everything in this dark and powerful work promises a future in the biggest international theaters,” French financial newspaper Les Echos writes. The newspaper Le Monde calls it “an overwhelming masterpiece” and Spanish El Pais affirms that “it leaves no one unimpressed.”
The Canadian theatre company Theatre; Just Because has adapted Sofi Oksanen’s bestselling novel Purge into a stage play. Purge is a riveting and suspenseful tale of two women dogged by their own shameful pasts. Set in both the years following WW2 and the early 1990s, the play depicts the culmination of a tragic family drama of rivalry, lust, and loss that played out during the worst years of Estonia’s Soviet occupation.
Purge is set to have its premiere on July 15, with live performances continuing until July 17 and virtual performances until July 25. Click the ‘Read more’ button below to access tickets which are available for the live-audience performances in Alberta, Canada, and for worldwide streaming online.
Sebastian Bergman and his colleagues in the national homicide unit are back – and with a vengeance! As You Sow, Hjorth & Rosenfeldt’s seventh novel, takes place three years after the events of A Higher Justice.
Three murders have been committed in a span of days and Karlshamn is gripped by terror. Vanja Lithner and her colleagues in the national homicide unit are under pressure to find and stop the sniper before they kill again. But there are no clues, no witnesses, and no clear connections between the victims.
Sebastian Bergman has opted for a more tranquil lifestyle since he became a grandfather; he now works part-time as a psychologist and therapist. Suddenly, his world is turned upside down when an Australian seeks his counsel to process his experiences of the 2004 tsunami, to which Sebastian himself lost a daughter and a wife.
Since the murder in Uppsala three years ago, Billy has never stopped killing. About to become a father, he makes up his mind: He won’t kill again. But circumstances won’t let the past be forgotten. The question is, how far will Billy go to make sure he isn’t discovered?
As You Sow is the seventh and penultimate installment in Hjorth & Rosenfeldt’s internationally bestselling series that has sold 1,6 million copies in Sweden alone, and 5 million the world over.
Anders Roslund’s recently published Trust Me shoots to No. 1 on the official Swedish bestseller list for hardcovers. The novel also comes in at No. 1 in e-books, and No. 2 in audio.
Vinterviken, directed by Alexis Almström (Top Dog), is Netflix’s new Swedish feature film enterprise for fall 2021. Based on the YA classic by Mats Wahl, the feature is a coproduction between Filmlance, Netflix and Sveriges Television. In addition to premiering on Netflix in the latter half of 2021, the film is set to air on SVT, Sveriges Television, in 2022. A first look trailer has just been made available for fans keen to see how this classic is reinterpreted and revived.
Vinterviken is set in Stockholm, 2021, and centers on the love story between Elisabeth and John-John, two teenagers raised in the same city, yet living light years apart. They are separated by economic, social, and cultural differences until the day they enter the same high school class.
The lead roles of Elisabeth and John-John will be played by Elsa Öhrn and Mustapha Aarab. Dunja Vujovic (Top Dog, Heder) is the screenwriter.
Jørn Lier Horst’s A Question of Guilt, the fourth installment in the Cold Case Quartet, is once more No. 1 on the official paperback bestseller list in Norway.
Series Mania has announced the lineup for its 2021 event and the selection includes world premieres of some of the most hotly anticipated international series this year, including Furia, the original crime thriller created by Gjermund Stenberg Eriksen and directed by Magnus Martens, about a police officer who goes undercover in a neo-Nazi group.
Furia is a co-production between German producers X Filme (Babylon Berlin) and Norway’s Monster Scripted (Noble).
The festival will take place in Lille, France, on August 26 – September 2.
Read more in The Hollywood Reporter by clicking “Read More” below.
Anders de la Motte & Måns Nilsson’s A House to Die For climbs the Swedish bestseller lists, coming in at No. 3 in e-book and audio as well as No. 4 in hardcover this week.
Russia, Eksmo
Two-book deal closed by Miha Alvesson Due Billing
Catalonia, Proa
Two-book deal closed by Miha Alvesson Due Billing
Norway, Strawberry
Five-book deal closed by Federico Ambrosini
Spain, Mondadori
Two-book deal closed by Niclas Salomonsson
Finland, Otava
Ten-book deal closed by Julia Angelin
Latvia, Zvaigzne ABC
Three-book deal closed by Miha Alvesson Due Billing
An anti-hero who asks the right questions, an atmosphere heavy with secrets, a growing tension and a dose of irony makes this rendezvous that turns into a nightmare a decidedly unusual read.
– Salut Bonjour TV
Throughout the read of its 400-plus pages I thoroughly enjoyed this original, hilarious and fascinating family tale, that also gives a beautiful life lesson.
– Perfecte Buren
Adult readers aloud who enjoy giving a theatrical performance when sharing a book can have terrific fun with this, so too of course will young audiences.
– Red Reading Hub
David Sundin’s amusing work is a treat in itself when it comes to its execution.
– ERR
[The Mandela Effect is] a combination of entertaining suspense novel and dark social satire that is intelligent, well written, and impressive. /…/
– Kapprakt
Amanda is the star of the party – not seldom at the expense of her own well-being. Sofia is the sharpest new hire at her law firm, but also the only black woman, and she’s feeling the pressure to not only be good, but the best. Caroline has it all: the caring boyfriend, the luxury flat, and the influencer career... or does she?
